


Infinity Times Infinity

by modxminty



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Human, Canonical Character Death, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff and Angst, Good Boyfriend Magnus Bane, Good Friend Catarina Loss, M/M, Magnus Bane & Raphael Santiago Friendship, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 04:12:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14686212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modxminty/pseuds/modxminty
Summary: “You seem rather fond of the stars.” Magnus mused.Alec looked at him, his eyes following the line of Magnus’s throat as he looked up at the sky Alec had been so infatuated with mere moments ago. Now, however, he found himself aching to take a photo of a different sight. “They're pretty.” He found himself saying, his eyes fixed more on the glitter against the man's tanned skin than the stars he was supposed to be talking about.





	Infinity Times Infinity

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to point out any grammatical/spelling errors that you find so I can fix them.

Alec sighed, fiddling with the chord of his headphones for the sixth time in the past two minutes, watching the people out on the dance floor enjoy themselves. He had fulfilled his first job of the night as best man, his best friend happily married to the love of his life and was now twirling her around the dance floor. His second job, however, came from his family being too cheap to hire a DJ for the wedding, leaving it his responsibility as it was something he did as a hobby. He was doing it well, switching at the proper time and making sure the ends of songs blended with the beginnings. But honestly, he was starting to get bored. The wedding was in full swing now and at least thirty more songs were queued up to play, leaving him with nothing to do. 

So, he sat back on his stool watching the people around him still drinking the same beer he'd grabbed from the bar three and a half hours ago. Alec had found himself pulled into a couple of dances. One with his little sister Isabelle, another with his best friend Maia, even one with the bride herself, Clary. Alongside himself and his immediate family, everyone seemed to be having a good time. He saw his mother talking with Clary’s stepdad Luke, saw Maia’s boyfriend Simon chatting with a dark haired man he didn't recognize. All was well in the world.

A new song started, expertly melded into the ending of the previous one, and people shuffled on and off the dance floor depending on their taste. Alec's eyes, however, were drawn to a gorgeous man that stepped out onto the dance floor just in front of the DJ booth. His eyes locked on Alec's, lips turning up in a smirk as he danced. There was something about the way he moved, the way the light glinted off of the chains around his neck and the rings across his fingers, the intoxicating sway of his hips, the parting strands of dark hair as he ran his hand through it, the long line of his neck as he moved his head to the side. Alec was captivated by him. He found himself watching only him, clearly catching the man's attention, as every time his eyes caught Alec's he would smirk and roll his hips in a very deliberate way that he could clearly tell was driving the other man crazy. 

When the song finally ended and the man left the floor Alec found himself missing his presence in the crowd. He missed him not just for the seductive movements of his body, but for the colourful burst he added, the glitter twinkling on him as he swayed and turned, making him stand out in the sea of black suits and dresses. He moved his attention back to his playlist, paying more attention to what he was adding to try and get that beautiful man back onto the dance floor. His attempts, however, were useless, as the man never made a return. Alec sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. His eyes drifted to Maia, who was now at the bar talking with Jordan, a boy Alec recognized as her ex boyfriend, and an idea sparked in his mind. He turned his attention to his computer for a moment, making sure he had enough songs queued up to last at least another half an hour, and hopped from his perch behind the booth. He slipped off his headphones and made his way over to the bar. 

“Hey,” he called to the pair he'd spotted before. “Jordan, Maia, how's it going?” 

Maia narrowed her eyes. “Aren't you supposed to be playing the music?” 

“I'm good for the next little while,” he waved her off, ordering himself another beer despite the half full one he still had sitting back in the booth. “But, that is also why I came over here. Jordan, buddy, I know you DJ in your free time, so can you please cover me. For like an hour, at most. I feel like I'm gonna go crazy over there.” 

Jordan laughed, clapping him on the back. “Don't worry man, I've got you.” 

“Thank you.” Alec smiled. Jordan returned it and bid his goodbyes to Maia, making his way over to the booth in the corner. 

Jordan was clearly fiddling with Alec's playlist as he didn't recognize half of the songs as they started playing. He kept his eyes out for the beautiful man from before, making small talk with Maia until she seemed to get fed up with his distracted nature and left him to his own devices. The glittery man stepped out onto the floor two more times in the next hour. Alec kept a close eyes on the songs that gained his attention. Both times the songs were by Ragnor, an artist Alec was all too familiar with. 

Ragnor was quite famous around the world, his songs garnering attention from millions of people. He'd reached the number one spot on the iTunes charts with multiple songs and albums in the past. Despite all of this, he'd never played a live concert. Ragnor was incredibly secretive, keeping his identity hidden from the public expertly. His music ranged from slow, beautiful melodies to fast, upbeat music, the songs being played tonight all taking on a seductive tune. Alec could safely say that Ragnor was his favourite artist. He didn't see many people comparing with his love for the man's music, no matter what type they made. 

“Hey, Alec,” the sudden voice behind him pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned his head, coming face to face with the man of the hour, Alec's long time best friend, Jace Herondale. “Dude, why are you standing in a corner?” 

Alec laughed, pulling him into a hug that he readily returned. “I've been sitting in a corner all night.” 

“While that is true,” Jace took a sip of his beer, grinning at him. “I think you need to loosen up. Dance a bit, have some fun. Jordan has the DJ thing covered.” 

“I don't know-" Alec tried to protest, but was quickly cut off by Jace who shook his head and placed both of their nearly empty bottles on the counter, leading Alec out onto the dance floor as the song changed. 

Jace swayed a bit, moving his hips to find the rhythm of the new song. He pulled on Alec's hip, attempting to convince him to do the same. “Come on, man. I know you can dance. You took those shitty classes with Izzy.” 

“I can't,” Alec protested, and when Jace raised an eyebrow at him he protested again. “I can't!” 

“Yeah, and I like dick,” Jace joked, pulling on Alec's arm to coax him into dancing. “Come on, just one song.” 

Alec rolled his eyes, his head rolling back with it, and started moving with Jace to the song, who grinned triumphantly. One song turned into five, which turned into ten, which turned into thirty, and eventually Alec had spent the better part of two hours dancing around to the music. Clary and Isabelle had gotten dragged into the dancing at one point. Clary had one hand on Alec's shoulder, the pair laughing at the awkward movements their drastic height difference caused. He spun her around, letting her fall into Jace's arms as Simon and Maia joined their circle. Maia stretched up on her toes and threw an arm around Alec’s shoulders. He instinctively wrapped his around her waist, letting the sporadic beat of the music carry their movements. 

At some point during the night Alec had moved to the garden outside of the venue. He walked around, his head thrown back to look at the stars, hands stuffed in his pockets. He found his way to a bench, sitting down and letting his head rest on the back, his spine curved awkwardly dude to his large frame. 

“Lovely night,” a voice broke him out of his thoughts, causing him to look up. “Isn't it?” The voice belonged to the gorgeous man he'd seen inside. He was even more breathtaking up close, Alec decided, all long limbs and glittery makeup. “Mind if I sit?” 

Alec shook his head immediately, moving to sit up properly and wincing at the way his back cracked. “Not at all.” 

The man smiled. Alec could spend years looking at that smile. He sat down next to Alec, the small bench putting him closer to Alec than he was strictly comfortable with being with a stranger. With this man, he found, he didn't mind as much. It may just be because the man was painfully attractive and Alec had probably had one too many beers, but if anyone asked he'd call it a connection instead of one of the myriad of excuses forming in his brain. 

“I'm Alec.” He said, holding out his hand for the other man to take. 

The man smiled his achingly beautiful smile again, reaching out to take his hand, and Alec couldn't help but smile back. “Magnus Bane.” 

Alec smiled at him, dropping his hand and turning back to look at the sky. He ached to take a picture of it, found his hands twitching to grab a camera that wasn't there. The silence surrounding the two was a little awkward, but far from forced as they sat, two strangers side by side in the cool night air. “So,” Alec said after a while, not taking his eyes off the sky. “You seem pretty fond of Ragnor.” 

Magnus laughed at that, the sound beautiful and melodic, and Alec found himself violently hoping to be the cause of that laugh many more times to come. “I could say the same about you. You played quite a bit of his music.” 

“I love his stuff!” Alec beamed, excitement filling his voice. “He's, like, the coolest guy. Even though he's never shown his face. That's cool too, though! It's exciting! And like, he donates so much of his money to charity. Well, he says he does. And his music is all so amazing too. It's really cool, he's such a good artist. And the fact that he's so open about his sexuality is amazing too. I just love it,” Alec looked back over at Magnus and blushed, looking at the ground for a minute. “Sorry, that was really lame.” 

“Not at all.” Magnus promised. 

Alec looked back up at the stars, plunging them back into silence. His fingers where itching for his camera again. He had his phone, but the quality wouldn't do what he wanted it to. He'd have to settle for never taking the photo, he thought sadly. 

“You seem rather fond of the stars.” Magnus mused.

Alec looked at him, his eyes following the line of Magnus’s throat as he looked up at the sky Alec had been so infatuated with mere moments ago. Now, however, he found himself aching to take a photo of a different sight. “They're pretty.” He found himself saying, his eyes fixed more on the glitter against the man's tanned skin than the stars he was supposed to be talking about. 

Magnus looked back at him, a small smile gracing his pink painted lips. “I can think of more than one thing out here that's pretty.” 

Alec blushed, looking at the ground. “You're a really good dancer, by the way.” 

“As are you,” Magnus said. Alec looked up, confusion clear in his eyes, and Magnus backpedaled quickly, adding clarification to his statement. “I saw you too, with your family. You're quite the dancer.” 

“I took some stupid dance class with my sister a couple of times.” Alec confessed, looking down at the bench and picking at the wood. A piece lodged itself in his finger and he winced, but paid no attention to it. 

Magnus, however, instantly grabbed at his hand, examining the inch of wood sticking out of the tip of Alec's finger. “Are you alright? This looks like it hurts.” 

Alec shrugged. “It's just wood. I can pull it out of my finger just as easily as it got shoved into it.” He pulled his hand away from Magnus, emphasizing his point by pulling the piece of wood out quickly. 

“Yes, I suppose that is true, though that won't stop me from worrying that you hurt yourself.” He told him, grabbing Alec's wrist. 

Alec smiled, laughing lightly and shaking his head. “You don't need to worry about me, Magnus.” 

“Well, that's just unavoidable,” Magnus declared, dropping Alec's. He found himself irrationally missing the contact. “I have a habit of worrying about injured pretty boys.” 

Alec opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by a shout from someone back in the building. “Alec! Get your ass back in here, we're taking photos!”

He groaned, dropping his head onto the back of the bench, ignoring the way the wood hit harshly at the back of his skull. Magnus laughed and Alec turned his head, smiling sloppily at him. “Duty calls, right?” 

“Go do your job, best man,” Magnus told him. Alec smiled at him again, standing up and moving to walk away. He took all of two steps before Magnus grabbed his wrist, pulling him around to look at him again. “Would I be too bold as to ask for your phone number before you leave?” 

Alec smiled, shaking his head and holding out his hand for the device. “Not at all.” 

Magnus watched as he typed his number into his contacts, handing it back to him quickly when he was done. Jace shouted at him again and he waved briefly at Magnus, jogging back to the building. He could practically feel Magnus’s eyes burning into his back as he went but, oddly, he didn't mind all that much. He couldn't help but hope that, come morning, he'd have an excuse for those beautiful, dark rimmed eyes to be focused on him again. 

\------

Alec's phone ringing ran through his ears like a bullet. He'd hardly had anything to drink the night before, a beer and a half and a glass of wine to be exact, yet he still found himself with an awful headache. He fumbled blindly for his phone, answering it without bothering to check the caller ID, and instantly went into telling the person off. 

“I swear to god, if this is Jace I'm going to walk down the hall and suffocate you.” 

The responding laugh did not, in fact, belong to Jace. “Well I'm glad I'm not Jace. I hate to see what you'll do to the poor boy once he actually calls you.” 

Alec sat up, pulling his phone away from his ear and squinting at it in the darkness of his hotel room. The caller had no contact, and he could only remember giving his number to one person the night before. “Magnus?” 

“In the flesh,” he responded, and Alec couldn't fight the smile that crossed his face. “Well, I suppose that's an incorrect statement as we're speaking over the phone, but I'm assuming you know what I mean.” 

“Yeah.” Alec smiled. 

There was a pause for a second and Alec found himself under pressure to fill it, but Magnus was quick to pipe up again before the silence got awkward. “Drinks.” 

“What?” Alec raised an eyebrow despite the fact that Magnus couldn't see him, a natural reaction after dealing with Simon and Jace for so long. 

“Drinks,” Magnus said again, this time with more confidence in his voice. “You and me. Are you free tonight?” 

“I'd love that,” Alec said, but he frowned. “But I can't. I have a rule about drinking when I've got school the next day.” 

Magnus made a noise of understanding. “I get that. I fear I did far too much drinking in my college days. How about Friday, then? No school after that.” 

Alec didn't have the heart to tell him that he took extra classes on Saturdays sometimes. “Yeah, sounds fun. Where, what time?” 

“How about,” some shouting in the background grabbed Alec's attention and clearly grabbed Magnus’s too as he stopped talking, turning and shouting something back. His hand must have been pressed against his phone, Alec concluded, as his response was muffled. He sighed, bringing his attention back to his phone. “I'm afraid I have to go. I'll text you the details later, alright?” 

“Yeah, sounds good. See you Friday?” Alec asked, just wanting to make sure. 

He could practically hear Magnus’s grin in his words. “I can't wait.” 

\------

Magnus threw open the door to his friends home, having found the new hiding place for her spare key and already knowing she would be home that morning. “Catarina!” he called into the house. 

“Uncle Magnus!” the excited tiny shout eanf through the house. 

Magnus grinned, dropping to his knees to grab the tiny girl as she raced forwards, throwing herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her small frame tightly, picking her up and spinning her around. He laughed as she screeched, a massive grin on her face when he set her back down. “Hey, sweet pea.” 

“I don't know why I even leave a key out there anymore.” Magnus looked up, smiling at the sight of Catarina Loss leaning against the doorway to her office, sweatpants and an oversized sweater Magnus was almost positive belonged to him indicating that she very recently woke up.

“Because?” he said, standing up and brushing invisible dust off his jeans. “You enjoy my surprise visits and you know it.” 

Catarina smiled, walking over and pulling him into a tight hug. “I can't deny that. Coffee?” 

“Oh, no thank you. I've already had six.” He said, returning her hug with just as much force. 

“You what,” she hissed, looking up at him. “God, are you trying to kill yourself?”

“I haven't been sleeping very well lately.” He confessed. 

Catarina sighed, holding up a finger in request for a minute. She walked down the hall, slipping into her bedroom, and emerging less than a minute later in a pair of jeans and boots. “Madzie,” she called down the hall. “Uncle Magnus is gonna take us to the park!” 

Said young girl came racing out of her room a second later, clinging to Magnus’s leg and looking up at him excitedly. “Really?” 

“Really.” He told her, easing his eyebrows at Catarina when Madzie turned her back to put on her shoes. 

Catarina slipped on her shoes, mouthing “we need to talk” at him, before grabbing her keys and stuffing her phone into her bag, ushering the other two out of the house. The made small talk on the walk to the park. Magnus asked Madzie about school, and she happily babbled on about all of her kindergarten friends. Catarina asked Magnus about work and he looked at her, squinting his eyes as if that would help him decipher the hidden meaning in her words. She was his boss, she knew exactly how work was going. But maybe she didn't. They arrived at the park soon after leaving as it was only a couple of blocks away. Madzie bounced off to the playground to run around with the other kids, leaving Catarina and Magnus sitting on a nearby bench. 

“What's going on, Magnus?” She asked him, turning to look at him. 

“Nothing,” he told her, forcing a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. She raised a well shaped eyebrow, clearly seeing through everything he was saying. Magnus sighed, looking down. “Nothing I'm sure about.” 

Cat placed a gentle hand on his bicep, running it up and down his arm in a way she knew soothed him. “You'll figure it out. And after you figure it out you'll write a song about it like you've done a hundred other times.” 

“I do do that a lot, don't I?” Magnus chuckled, leaning against her side. 

“You do,” She wrapped her arm around him. “Do you feel any better?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. Hearing you talk helps.” 

She smiled. “Good. And speaking of songs, have you written any?” 

“I have, in fact,” he grinned, popping open the button on his book bag and pulled out a notebook Cat had gotten him for his twenty fifth birthday earlier that year that head dedicated to writing his songs in once he was done scribbling ideas onto fifty different sheets of paper. “Here.” He flipped the book open to his most recent addition, handing it over so she could read over it. 

“I love it.” She grinned, handing it back to him.   
“Yeah?” he asked, slipping it back into his bag. 

She nodded. “Absolutely. Any thoughts on what you're going to call the album yet?” 

Magnus hummed. “I was thinking of doing a self titled album, but I'm not sure.” 

“Ragnor,” she pondered it for a moment. “I'm not sure either.” 

He sighed, dropping his head onto the back of the bench. “I almost told someone.” 

Catarina sat up straighter, looking over him like he was crazy. “Who?” 

“A nice university student named Alexander with pretty eyes who really loves my music.” He smiled. 

Cat sighed. “You asked him out, didn't you?” 

“Mhm,” he hummed, sitting back up. “Is that a problem?” 

“Not for me,” she said. She sighed, reaching over and lacing his fingers with hers. “But remember what happened last time you dated somebody?” 

Magnus nearly shuddered at the memory. Camille Belcourt was not someone who was easily forgotten. The memory didn't lend itself to being thought highly of, but the bitter taste in his mouth whenever it made an appearance did land him some good songs, and an entire album titled “Bitter”, which had been a chart topper for longer than any of his other albums. “How could I forget.” 

“I'm not telling you not to pursue it,” she explained, placing her other hand over their linked ones. “But I hate that you have to keep such a huge part of yourself from other people, especially the people you fall in love with.” 

Magnus exhaled a shaky breath. “I don't have to keep it from them. I know that. I could come out about being Ragnor anytime I wanted to. But, somehow, it feels like a betrayal to the man himself to let everyone in on our little secret. It's personal, just us, and I want it to stay that way.” 

“I know. I do too,” Cat sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. She was silent for a long moment, only the sound a of their breathing breaking their little bubble of quiet amidst all the screaming children and rushing cars. When she finally did speak again her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “I just don't want to see you get hurt again.” 

Magnus kissed her hair. “I won't.” He promised. 

Cat wanted to say more, he knew she did, but she stopped herself when a grinning Madzie raced up to him and demanded he push her on the swings and, well, who was he to deny his favourite little girl? He looked back at Catarina, still sitting on the bench with their things as he let the small child pull him to the swing set. This conversation was far from over, he knew that, but he felt as though he were starting to break everything down, if only a little bit.

\------

For the next week Alec found himself excited for Friday. Izzy had practically forced the information out of him at breakfast that morning, begging him to tell her who the handsome stranger he'd been spending time with the night before was. Jace jokingly asked if they'd hooked up, earning a smack across the back of the head from Clary and a blushing, stuttering mess of a response from Alec. He told them they were going out for drinks on Friday and Izzy had practically crushed him with the strength of the hug she gave him. She promised to make sure he looked good for the date. Alec wouldn't say it out loud, but he was actually incredibly happy his sister was there to help him. 

Classes for the week were painfully slow. He had three papers that had to be turned in by the end of the week and found himself rushing to finish all of them on Thursday night, leading him to staying up until the sun rose after drinking four cups of coffee. He'd never been more glad for his afternoon classes than he had been at that point. Maia practically had to drag him out of bed, reminding him rather harshly that he had to get to class or he'd never be able to hand in his papers that he spent oh so much time doing. She was a great roommate, Alec would admit to that, even if Simon come with her when they loved into the apartment. Ad much as Alec complained about the energetic boy, he'd miss his optimistic energy around the house on the nights he was out late. 

Alec got back around five, having agreed to meet Magnus for drinks at eight. His last class had ended at four but he agreed to meet Clary for a coffee before he got home and was harassed by his sister. Their visit had been good. He missed getting to spend time with Clary. He hated her when she first made an appearance in their lives. She took have a attention away from him, and his pathetic crush on his best friend caused him to have an unreasonable amount of hate for her. After a while, however, his crush subsided before all out disappearing and she grew to be one of his closest friends. He didn't know quite what he do without her. 

“I'm back!” he called out into the apartment. 

“Congratulations,” Maia yelled back from the living room. “I thought you may have passed out turning your lecture.” 

Alec laughed, tossing his bag down on the couch and stretching out beside her. She instantly flopped over, her head resting on his lap, and looked up at him. “I felt like I might for a while.” 

She laughed. “I'm sure, you were up way too late last night. Don't do it again.” She told him sternly. 

“Yes mom.” He chuckled, his laughter growing when she punched him in the arm. 

“Izzy stopped by earlier,” Maia informed him. “She said she would have waited until you were home but she had a date tonight, so she tore your closet apart without you.”

Alec laughed. “You know, I hate to say that I don't really mind missing out on that.” 

The two sat around for another hour or so before Simon came home, instantly declaring that he'd had a bad day and challenging Alec to a game of Mario Kart to make himself feel better. Simon kicked his ass, he was far too distracted to play well, and his spirits were considerably lifted by the end of their third game. They sent him into his room at seven, forcing him into getting ready and claiming they wanted to see what he looked like once he was done. Alec would admit, Izzy had picked out a nice outfit while still keeping it his style. He didn't know why he ever doubted her. 

“Wow,” Simon whistled, wiggling his eyebrows. Maia threw a pillow at him and he laughed, falling off the edge of the couch. He looked up at Alec and grinned. “You look really good, man.” 

“Yeah?” Alec asked, fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt. 

“It looks great,” Maia confirmed, but she wasn't done with her evaluation. “Except you wear it like your father.” 

“What?”

She pushed herself up off the couch, walking over to him and fiddling with his outfit. She messed up his hair, popping a couple of the buttons on his shirt. “Roll up your sleeves,” she told him. He raised his eyebrow but complied, not really knowing what she was doing but trusting her to know what she was doing. He rolled up his sleeves obediently. She smoothed out the collar of the shirt, pulling the chain around his neck out of it and placing her hand over it on his chest. She smiled at him. “There, now you look more like yourself.” 

Alec reached up to his throat, lightly pressing his fingers to the pendant to ground himself. He didn't know why he was so nervous for this. It was just a date. He'd been on plenty of dates. Except this one felt different, somehow. He hardly knew Magnus, had only spoken to him face to face once, but he wanted to impress him. 

“It’s almost eight,” Simon told him, shuffling over and patting him on the shoulder. “Go get your man.” 

“Shut up.” Alec huffed, ruffling Simon's hair, much to the boys protests, and grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch. He stuffed his phone and keys into his pocket and smiled, waving to the two as he left the house.

“Use protection!” Maia called after him. 

He flipped her off, closing the door on her laughter. 

The air outside was cooler than he expected. Alec took a deep breath in through his nose, letting the cool air calm him during the short walk from his apartment complex to sort himself out. He was grounded, well prepared for the date. Magnus wasn't that scary, he'd been on dates before. He remembered going on dates with Clary's brother for a few months before both decided they were better off as friends. He knew what he was doing. Feeling better, he pushed open the door to the Hunters Moon, a small bar on the corner of their block that Maia worked at, smiling at Maia's friend Bat who worked behind the bar. 

All of his thoughts, however, went out the window when he laid eyes on the man. Magnus looked amazing. His hair was spiked, his makeup just as glittery as it was at the wedding. His shirt was unbuttoned well down his chest and Alec felt if he were maybe a little bit drunk they wouldn't even be having drinks. Magnus grinned when he saw him, waving him over to the table. 

He told up as Alec approached, grinning brightly. “Alexander.” 

“Hey,” Alec said quietly. Magnus motioned for him to sit down. He complied, sliding into the chair quickly, smiling at Magnus as he sat down across from him again. “You look really good.” 

“As do you,” Magnus smiled, fiddling with the chains around his neck. “If I were a different type of man I fear I'd drag you out of here right now.” 

Alec blushed, silently thanking both Maia and Izzy for making sure he didn't look like a mess. Conversation was awkward for a while, neither quite knowing what to talk about. Alec's shy nature was making it even harder for him to hold a conversation, and small talk had never been his forte. He'd never been on a date with someone he knew nothing about. All of his past relationships, albeit very few, had been with people he was friends with before their first date. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing. 

“Alexander, are you alright?” Magnus asked him. 

“Who told you my full name?” Alec said quickly in response, not wanting him to think he was uninterested in their conversation. 

Magnus smiled, laughing lightly. “You did.” 

“Me?” Alec asked. Magnus nodded and he looked at him, eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “When?” 

Magnus thought for a moment, clearly playing it up for Alec's entertainment. He definitely had a flare for the dramatic, that was for certain. “I believe it was Tuesday. I asked you what your full name was, you told me it was Alexander.” 

“Oh,” Alec said, suddenly remembering the conversation. “Oh yeah, you did. Sorry, I can't believe I forgot that.” 

“It's alright, I tend to forget things too. You're only human.” Magnus smiled, and unsurprisingly, Alec smiled back. 

Conversation flowed easier after that, both men getting a couple of drinks into their systems. They played a game of pool, Magnus kicking Alec's ass the first couple of rounds before Alec finally beat him. They moved back to their table after that, chatting about anything and everything. The conversation eventually moved to family, and Alec spent the night retelling stories of his siblings and their ridiculous actions.

“I can't believe you're related to Jace, honestly.” Magnus mused, taking a sip of his drink. 

Alec laughed, shaking his head. “I'm not.” 

Magnus cocked his head to the side. “You're not.” Alec shook his head and he squinted his eyes in confusion. “You mentioned having a brother. I guess I naturally assumed it was Jace.” 

“No, not Jace. His name is Max.” Alec said. 

“Max,” Magnus smiled. “Do you have a picture?” 

Alec nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket and scrolling back through his photos. He found one, clicking on the photo. He felt his stomach twist and sucked in a deep breath, turning the phone around for Magnus to see. It was a simple photo, one his mother had taken, of nine year old Max climbing across Alec and Izzy. Alec had been around fourteen, Izzy was twelve. 

Magnus smiled as he looked at it. “He looks just like you. You three make quite the trio.” Alec pocketed his phone, smiling at Magnus. “Do you not have any more recent photos?” 

Alec shook his head. “That's a story for a different date.” 

“So I'm getting another date out of this?” Magnus smirked, leaning his chin on his hand. It really shouldn't have looked as appealing as it did. 

Alec shrugged, taking another sip of his drink. Maybe it was the alcohol in his system suddenly making him brave, or maybe it was the playful glint in Magnus’s eyes. Whatever it was, Alec found himself drawn towards the feeling, wanting to use it while he could. “If you want one.” 

“Oh Alexander,” Magnus laughed, shaking his head. “I'd love nothing more.”

Alec smiled. “Me too.” 

\------

“I mean it, Cat. He's perfect.” Magnus hummed, drumming his fingers on his friends desk. 

She swatted at his hand to get him to stop with obnoxious distraction. “How many dates have you two been on?” 

Magnus didn't even have to think about his answer, already knowing the exact number. “It'll be our fifth one tonight.” 

“I've seen you fall faster,” Cat said, eyeing him over the top of her laptop. “I'm surprised he's still putting up with you.” 

“Cat!” he exclaimed. “This is serious!” 

She closed her laptop, leaning her forearms on her desk as she looked at him. “If you tell me you love him I'm kicking you out of my office.” 

“I don't love him,” Magnus confirmed, leaning back in his seat, letting his head fall back onto it and staring at the ceiling. “But I really feel like I will.” 

Cat sighed, moving around the desk. She leaned on the chair behind him, rubbing at his shoulders. He hummed appreciatively. “Write him a song.” She suggested. 

He shook his head. “It's too soon for that, although now that you mention it I should get back to writing for that new album,” He stood up, stretching out his tired limbs, letting his bones crack and pop as he twisted. “Thank you for letting me invade your place of employment.” 

“You would have anyways, I thought I might as well give you permission,” she smiled. He grinned back, kissing her gently on the forehead. Magnus moved to leave, grabbing for the doorknob, but his friends voice behind him again stopped him. “He’d be proud of you, you know that right?” 

Magnus turned back to her, giving her a sad smile. “I daresay he'd be proud of all of us.” 

“Being proud was never really his style.” Cat argued. 

“No,” Magnus hummed, but smiled nonetheless. “But I still think he would be.” 

Cat walked over to him, pulling him down into a tight hug. “Me too.” 

Magnus didn't say anything else, just wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. 

\------

The two boys could hardly halt their kissing long enough to make it up the stairs. Alec laughed against Magnus’s glitter stained skin, pulling at his shirt as he tried to unlock the door, his hands shaky. Eventually he managed to get the door open, instantly pushing Alec inside and latching his lips onto the younger boys again. He slipped the door closed behind them, and Alec pushed Magnus up against it, his hands finding their way to his face, holding him carefully as they kissed, their mouths gliding together. This wasn't the first time the couple had kissed, but it was certainly the first time they'd gotten this far with it. 

Magnus pulled back for air and Alec placed a couple of open mouthed kisses along his neck, causing the older man to shiver. His hands slid to his hips, tracing light circles into them with his thumbs. 

“God, you're good at that.” Magnus mumbled, causing Alec to laugh, dropping his forehead to rest against Magnus’s shoulder. 

“You think so?” Alec mused, already knowing what the answer would be. 

Magnus’s hand slid up and down the back of Alec's neck, and he smiled into his hair. “Absolutely.” 

Alec pressed another kiss to the side of his neck, moving upwards to his jaw. He pulled Magnus closer by his belt loops, sucking a dark bruise into the skin right under his jaw. 

“As much as I hate to stop this,” Magnus mumbled, using his hand to move Alec away from his neck. “If we don't stop you won't be sleeping tonight, and you've got classes in the morning.” 

Alec sighed, pulling away stretching out his arms and looked around. “So, this is your apartment.” 

“Mhm,” Magnus hummed. “Do you like it?” 

“It's bigger than I expected.” Alec confessed, looking around the large apartment. 

“Did you expect me to live in a shack?” Magnus asked, coming up behind Alec and resting his chin on his shoulder. 

Alec snorted, relaxing back into the other's arms. “Maybe. I'm not sure what I was expecting.” 

Magnus moved away from him, grinning at the noise of protest Alec made, and grabbed his hand, dragging him through the house to the living room. He shoved Alec down onto the couch, seating himself on his lap like his boyfriend was nothing more than a pillow. Alec wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing the older man closer. He hummed in contentment, snuggling back into his arms. 

“What do you even do, anyways?” Alec asked, running his fingers up and down Magnus’s arm lightly. 

“It's a secret.” He hummed. 

Alec laughed. “You know, I'm starting to think you might be a member of the fbi that's getting close to me so he can kill me because I know too much about aliens.” 

“Oh no,” Magnus laughed, shifting around the straddle Alec's lap, resting his hands on his shoulders. “I've been found out.” 

Alec's hands made their way to his hips, pulling him closer. “Does this mean you have to kill me?” 

“I'm afraid so,” Magnus said, a light frown on his face, though his eyes were still playful as he leaned in closer. “Any last requests?” 

“I can think of one.” Alec mumbled, mouth mere centimetres away from the others. He could feel his slightly laboured breath as it ghosted across his face. He leaned forwards, sealing their lips together. Magnus made a low noise in the back of his throat, leaning into the kiss and winding his fingers through Alec's messy hair with one hand, the other resting on his neck. Alec shifted his hands under Magnus’s shirt, and Magnus pulled back, letting out a quiet moan when Alec started nipping at his neck. 

“I thought we agreed we weren't gonna do this?” Magnus breathed, pulling lightly at the others hair. 

Alec chuckled, his breath ghosting across Magnus’s neck, causing the man to shiver. “I changed my mind.” 

“God,” Magnus mumbled, whining as the other moved his hands further up his sides. Without warning Alec stood up, bringing the man in his lap with him. Magnus yelped, wrapping his legs around his waist to keep himself from crashing to the floor. He kissed Alec again, amazed at just how strong the boy actually was. Magnus wasn't exactly small or light, yet he was holding his up as if he weighed no more than a sheet of paper. “Alec, Jesus.” 

Alec grinned, walking Magnus backwards. Neither seemed to care if Alec missed a class or two tomorrow. To them, this was all the more important. 

\------

Magnus rolled over, dropping his head onto the pillow next to his sleeping boyfriend. He looked so peaceful like this. It was a nice change. He almost never looked peaceful, not during the day. University was stressing him out more than it should, that was incredibly clear. The four years you spent in college were supposed to be some of the best years of your life, the certainly had been for Magnus, yet Alec seemed weighed down by depression at every turn. He wanted to help him, it was the only thing he wanted to do for him, but he didn't know how. 

Magnus sighed, planting a kiss on his forehead, and slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Alec. His boy needed his rest, and Magnus would not be the one to get in the way of that. Magnus was on route to go out with some friends, though why they had to leave before nine was beyond him. If it were up to him, he'd never leave the house before ten, but sadly it was not, as the entire outing had been Cat’s doing and not his. 

He dressed quickly, grabbing his keys and phone from the bedside table. He stopped for a second, smiling down at the way Alec curled around the blanket in Magnus’s absence. He leaned down, kissing his temple, his heart squeezing at the way he smiled in his sleep at the action. A knock at the door startled him and he looked at the time, cursing himself for being so slow. He pressed on last kiss to Alec's cheek and all but ran from the room, nearly forgetting his jacket as he went. 

He opened the door, coming face to face with his adoptive brother, Raphael. “Dios,” he complained, taking in the rush of Magnus’s actions. “Could you be any slower?” 

“Shhh, Alexander is sleeping.” Magnus scolded, hopping around as he tried to put on his shoe without bending over. 

Raphael sighed. “Can you hurry up, please? Tessa is going to be at the restaurant soon and we can't be late again.” 

“I'm coming, I'm coming,” Magnus hissed, throwing on his jacket and slipping out of the door, taking care to flick off the lights before he left. He picked the door, following Raphael who was basically jogging with how fast he was walking. “Slow down.” Magnus groaned, running to catch up with him. 

Surprisingly, Raphael complied, slowing his walk a bit to match Magnus’s shorter stride. Despite being the younger of the pair Raphael was the littlest bit bigger in all ways. Magnus didn't know if he should be jealous or not. He used to be, but the recent addition of Alec to his life left him happier about being short. The idea of matching his obnoxiously tall boyfriends height was growing less and less appealing to him the more he saw the ways in which being taller made Alexander that much more attractive to him. 

Raphael held the passenger side door of his car open for Magnus, who smiled in thanks before sliding in. Raphael walked around to the other side, hopping into the car and starting it up. 

“Something's bothering you.” Raphael said, turning off of Magnus’s street. 

“I'm afraid you're wrong.” Magnus told him, crossing his arms and looking out if the window. 

“Magnus,” Raphael sighed, looking over at him briefly before turning his eyes back to the street. “I've known you for years. Something is bothering you. Tell me.” 

Magnus sighed, looking over at Raphael, who cast him a persuading look out of the corner of his eye as he drove, unwilling to remove his eyes from the road for too long. “It's coming up in four years. You know, since everything happened with Ragnor.” 

Ragnor Fell, the fourth member if their little group, and the third member of the original trio consisting of him, Magnus, and Catarina, had passed away in a car accident four years prior. While he was a grouchy, sarcastic, bitter acting man, his absence stuck out in rooms like a giant hole in the wall. It was horrible for all of them. Magnus himself had refused to eat or drink for a week after it happened, he hardly slept, hardly did anything but stare at his bedroom wall and cry. He'd trusted Ragnor more than anyone else in the world, even more than he'd grown to trust Alec over the past few months, and he felt like a piece of him was missing without him there.

It was an unspoken rule amongst their friends that they didn't talk about the accident. They talked about Ragnor, sure, he was a common topic of conversation. But the accident is something that was never brought up, his death something they didn't speak about. It was clearly bothering Magnus if he spoke about it now. 

“It is,” Raphael agreed. “Is that bothering you?” 

“More than usual, yeah.” Magnus agreed. It was true that the anniversary of Ragnor’s death had been particularly hard on him for the three years before, but something about this year was sticking out. It hurt, Magnus decided, more than it ever had before. 

Raphael was quiet for a couple of minutes, clearly processing what might be going through Magnus’s mind, before he finally spoke again. “It doesn't feel like it's been four years.” 

Magnus hummed. “It doesn't.” 

“You miss him.” He said it as thought it weren't the most painfully obvious thing Magnus had ever heard. 

He nodded. “I do.” 

“Talk to Cat.” Raphael told him. 

“She won’t-" he cut him off.

“She will,” Raphael insisted, glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. “I hate to see you like this.” 

Magnus was quiet again, looking out the window at the houses and trees flying past. It wasn't like he wanted to shut Raphael out. He loved the boy with everything he had, he was more family to Magnus than his parents would ever be, but he didn't know how to talk to him. His thoughts were so jumbled up in his own brain that the thought of trying to communicate them to somebody else seemed infinitesimal in comparison to the rapidly approaching cloud of distress he was fighting to get away from. It was hypocritical, in a way, how much he cared for the mental health of his Alexander, and how quickly he shoved concerns of his own away. 

“I'm fine.” He assured him, despite knowing that was a horrific lie.

\------

Magnus’s songs playing around his loft was not an uncommon occurrence, as it was his music and his loft. Usually, it was him playing the music, whether it be him playing it himself or he was reviewing sons before they were out out into the world, sometimes even listening for fun. Today, however, Magnus heard the distinct sound of his own voice drifting through his home as he pushed open the door. He smiled, realizing that Alec was clearly listening to his new couple of songs. They were teasers for the album he had coming out in a couple of months, one he still hadn't named, and Alec had been talking about them since They were released. A new one was put out about an hour before, which was exactly the song Alec was listening too, as well as the reason Magnus was so late getting home. Cat had wanted to meet with him after the song was released, evaluate the general reaction of the public so far. 

“Alexander?” he called out, slipping off his jacket to hang up and moving to the living room. 

Alec was dancing around the room, textbook in one hand, duster in the other as he sang along to the song playing. Magnus smiled, leaning against the wall and opting to just watch him for a minute. Magnus was so in love with this man it was almost unreal. Every single thing he did just made him fall for him more. It was ridiculous, honestly it was, but he could see himself spending forever with Alec Lightwood. He thought back to what Catarina told him when he first started to fall for Alec. She told him to write him a song. For the longest time it didn't feel right, as if something were missing. Now, however, it was starting to become clearer to him that all that was missing was time. 

Magnus wanted to write him a song, that much he was positive about. But at the same time, he wanted Alec to know the song was for him. He wanted to see the look of pure joy on his face as he realized that his boyfriend was the singer he'd idolized for so long, that the man he thought he'd never know was so in love with him it made his head spin. He wanted Alec to know everything. And he was starting to get a clear idea of how. 

Alec turned around, nearly dropping his book in surprise when he saw his boyfriend. “Magnus,” he breathed, putting his things down on the table and switching off his music. “I didn't hear you come in.” 

“I shouted.” Magnus pointed out, shoving himself off the wall and walking over to Alec, resting his arms on his shoulders. 

Alec looked down at the floor, his face flushed pink and his hands circled around his hips, drawing him closer. “Sorry.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Magnus assured him, stretching up more and planting a quick kiss on Alec's lips. 

“Welcome home.” Alec grinned, and something clicked into place in Magnus’s brain. He just needed to be sure. 

“That was the new Ragnor song, no?” he asked him, pulling away in favour of finally depositing his bag on the couch. Alec never looked through his things, something Magnus had gotten quite used to with Camille, and he was eternally grateful that he could set his bag down on the couch and not have to worry about Alec finding anything. 

Alec hummed. “Yeah. Sorry, I shouldn't have been playing it so loud.” 

“It's alright,” Magnus assured him. Honestly, he was quite flattered that Alec liked his music enough to play it at high volumes, but he couldn't tell him that part. “I take it you like the song.” 

Alec grinned. “I love it. It's definitely one of his best ones.” 

“Interesting.” Magnus hummed. 

An idea was forming in his brain. It was a stupid, potentially dangerous idea, but it was something Magnus needed to do. Something he'd been meaning to do for a long, long time. And it was finally the right time, he decided. It was time for the world to know who Ragnor truly was.

\------

The clock on the dash read 5:32. It was far too early for any civilized human being to be awake, Magnus decided. He was in the car with Raphael again, something that magnus was glad was starting to become more common. They were meeting Cat and his publicist, Tessa, for an early meeting at a cafe before Tessa had to catch a plane back to London. Normally Magnus would refuse a meeting this early, but he had a soft spot for the small English girl and couldn't refuse the chance to see her again before she left for five months. Besides, he had something incredibly dangerous and stupid to talk about.

They pulled up to the cafe and Magnus exited the car hurriedly, already recognizing the slick sports car they pulled up next to as belonging to Will, one of Tessa’s husbands. He was probably off sitting in the corner with their other husband, Jem, sipping tea and talking in their British accents that made Magnus want to choke them for his perfect they were. He pulled in the door, growing when it wouldn't open, and tried again. He failed a second time and huffed in confusion. Raphael laughed beside him and Magnus turned, glaring at him for laughing at his troubles. The dark look only intensified when Raphael pushed the door and it opened, gesturing to the directional sign for Magnus, who huffed and walked into the cafe. 

He breathed in the scent of old books and coffee, one he'd grown to associate with his English friends. It helped to calm him a bit, leaving him less annoyed and more calm. Anxiety, however, was still gripping tightly at his lungs, refusing to let him breathe properly until this meeting was over. Magnus had an idea. It was probably a terrible idea, and it was risky, dumb, and all around horrible, but it was important, and that outweighed all of the many problems for him. 

“Magnus!” Tessa called excitedly, standing up and enveloping him in a warm hug. 

He sighed, breathing in the citrus scent of whatever perfume she was wearing and let the anxiety gripping his body fade a little more. “Hello, my dear.” 

“I'm surprised to see you up before the sun rises,” she teased, grinning at him when he pulled away. “And of your own free will might I add.” 

“Yes, well, this is important.” He told her, sliding into the seat next to Cat and smiling politely in greeting. 

Tessa raised an eyebrow. “That sounds concerning.” 

“I have a very stupid idea,” Magnus said, leaning his forearms as he looked pointedly at the girls. “And before either of you say anything, please just listen to everything I have to say.” 

“This better be good Magnus.” Cat warned, though there was no real threat behind her words. 

“Trust me, it is,” he said. He took a deep breath, and started his explanation. “I want to perform a concert,” both girls opened their mouths to protest and he held up a hand to stop them. “Not until I'm done, remember? Look, I know this is absolutely ridiculous, but I've thought this through a great deal. I can wear a mask, body has to see my face, and it's not just any old concert,” he took another deep breath, the words getting caught in his throat. “It's for Ragnor, the real Ragnor, for a charity event he always used to go to. And I know it's risky and so much can go wrong but I need to do this. For me. For him.” 

Cat reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in hers. “Okay.” 

Magnus looked at her, startled by the immediate acceptance. He was expecting a fight, had an entire speech ready to convince them of his need to do this, but he didn't need to. It was surprising, if not a bit alarming. “Okay?” 

“Okay,” Tessa agreed. Her eyes were teary. He didn't know what he'd said that meant that much to pair, but he was glad he was getting through this without a fight. “This is important, you're right, and I support you. We'll figure it out, Magnus, you're going to do this.” 

“Yeah?” he looked at the two, looked at Raphael who had sat down across from him at some point earlier, even bothered casting his eyes to Will and Jem, who noticed his gaze and waved back at him. All of these people, everyone sitting around this table, even Alexander sound asleep in Magnus’s bed at home, they were all there in support of him. Cat, who gave up spending as much time with her daughter as she should to help Magnus with his career despite his constant protests. Tessa, who flew back and forth from London to New York to help out a friend she'd originally not got along with. Raphael, who drove his idiot brother to his meetings and bought him coffee when he stayed up all night writing. Alec, who sung praises of all his work despite not knowing he was dating his favourite musician. All of them were there for him. 

This little secret could come out now. He could start telling people, start letting them know. Ragnor Fell, a man Magnus had spent years grieving over, was finally accepting being grieved. Everything was falling into place. Magnus just had to do the work to make sure it stayed there. He grinned brightly as the group surrounding him, tears starting to cloud his own vision along with theirs. “Okay,” be laughed, letting all of the anxiety go. “Okay.”

\------

“I'm going to throw myself off of your balcony.” Alec declared with incredible certainty and determination, causing Magnus to look at him around the corner of his kitchen wall. Alec was sprawled out on the couch, one leg kicked over the arm, the other hanging onto the floor, a law textbook and four different notebooks sprawled out across his lap. 

“Might I ask why?” he asked him, walking back into the living room with two cups of coffee held in his hands. He placed one down on the coffee table in front of Alec who smiled, maneuvering his body so Magnus could sit down next to him. 

He instantly let his head drop onto his shoulder, picking up his drink and taking a sip, breathing in a long breath as he did so. He hummed appreciatively, smiling up at Magnus, before his face dropped and he sighed, putting his drink down and picking up his textbook again. He stared at the page for all of six seconds before he groaned in defeat, forcefully closing the book and throwing himself down on the couch. “I don't wanna be a lawyer.” 

“Then why, may one ask, are you studying law?” Magnus asked, rubbing at Alec's shoulder. 

Alec sighed, moving his head to look at his boyfriend. “My parents. That's what they want me to be.” 

“Screw your parents,” Magnus said. “Run away and live here with me.” 

Alec laughed a little, leaning his head back onto Magnus’s shoulder. “God I wish.” 

“I'm serious. You can move in here if you want to.” He told him. 

Alec scooted away slightly, looking at his boyfriend with wide eyes. He seemed confused, possibly shocked that Magnus would ever want to live with him. Why he wouldn't was unknown to the man. He loved Alec with every fibre of his being. It probably didn't help that he hadn't told him yet, but he had a plan for that. A rather dumb, teen movie cliche plan, but a plan nonetheless. “Magnus-" 

He cut him off, pressing his finger lightly to his lips. “You don't have to answer that right now. It's an offer, you can think about it for as long as you want. Just know that it's on the table. Always.” 

Alec smiled, cuddling back into Magnus’s chest. “I don't know. I'm not sure if be able to put up with all the glitter lying around all the time,” Magnus snorted and Alec looked up at him, his narrowed eyes a thousand times less threatening when paired with the dopey grin spread across his face. “I'm serious. There's glitter everywhere in your office. The floor is covered in it. Why do you even have so much silver glitter?” 

“You'll find out soon enough my dear.” Magnus promised him. 

“Things could go wrong.” Alec said. 

“There's an infinite amount of things that could go right.” Magnus protested. 

“And an infinite amount of things that can go wrong.” He countered. 

“Infinity times infinity is still infinity, my dear.”

That answer seemed to be good enough for Alec as he curled even further into Magnus’s chest, wrapping an arm around his waist, successfully securing him there for the rest of the night as he fell asleep against him. Honestly, Magnus could have woken him up and suggested they sleep in the bed as it would be a lot more comfortable, but he couldn't bring himself to disrupt the peaceful face he had. Never before had he been so glad he bought such a large couch. 

\------

Alec was lying across the couch in his apartment, not Magnus’s, as he did not live their despite Magnus’s constant insistence that him moving in would be perfectly acceptable, when his sister, Simon, Clary, and Maia rushed into the house, disrupting his silence. 

“Alec!” Clary squeaked excitedly, jumping on top of him where he lay. 

“What?” he groaned, desperate to know what they disrupted one of his rare days off with. 

Izzy shoved his feet off the couch, collapsing onto it beside him. Simon and Maia did the same, the five of them just barely fitting with Clary sitting on Alec's lap and Izzy practically sitting on Simon. “Ragnor is doing a concert!” 

Alec's eyes widened, an excited grin spreading across his own face. “Are you serious?”

Simon nodded enthusiastically. “He announced it on Twitter this morning!” 

“How the hell did I miss this?” Alec exclaimed, reaching around Clary to grab his phone from the coffee table. Sure enough, the first notification on his phone was a tweet from Ragnor announcing a concert at a charity event. It was the first time he would ever play a concert live. Alec didn't think he'd ever been more excited for something in his life. 

“This is so cool,” Maia beamed. “He's gonna be masked through the whole thing, that's what he said, but we're still gonna see him in person!” 

“We have to get tickets!” Clary said confidently, and the other four all murmured their agreements. 

Simon elbowed Alec in the side. “You should get your super hot, super rich boyfriend to buy us all tickets.” 

Alec didn't want to do that. Asking Magnus for money seemed like a horrible idea, much less asking him for something like this. He knew Magnus probably wouldn't want to go with them, he'd confessed to Alec before that he didn't much care for live music, and it seemed rude to ask for something like this when he knew he wouldn't attend. He didn't know how to tell his friends but, luckily, Maia spoke before he could. 

“What does Magnus do anyways?” She asked. 

Alec shrugged, shifting Clary in his lap when his leg started to go numb. “I'm not actually sure.” 

“He's never told you?” Izzy gasped, eyes wide as if it were the more horrible thing she'd ever heard. 

“He doesn't seem to like talking about it,” Alec shrugged again. “I didn't want to pry.” 

His phone pinged and he reached around Clary, this time with more ease from her change in position, and grabbed it to check. It was a text from Magnus. The little picture of him in the corner made him smile and he mentally scolded himself. Seeing his boyfriend couldn't mess him up like this, even if he really loved him, which he did. The text told him to meet him at his apartment that night as he had a surprise for him. Alec's gut flipped nervously, not knowing what the surprise may be. He looked at the time. It was nearly five, meaning he should probably get ready now if he wants for make it in time. He told his friends as much, rolling his eyes at their ooing and over exaggerated winks. 

He changed quickly, opting for a pair of jeans and a sweater Magnus had bought him instead of the old sweatpants and t-shirt he had been lounging around in before. He knew his boyfriend didn't mind hi looking sloppy, but he figured this was the type of night where he should look presentable. 

He made his way out of his room quickly, bidding goodbye to his friends as he left, not bothering with a coat as it was warm our now and he'd probably be staying at Magnus’s that night and wouldn't need one. He walked to the others loft, not wanting to put up with any New York taxi drivers that could pull him from his good mood. Everything was going so well for him that day. He could only hope whatever surprise Magnus had planned would add to his good mood. 

In the time it took Alec to reach his boyfriend's home he had come up with a thousand theories as to what the surprise could be. They were still running through his head as he opened the door, the spare key Magnus had had made for him coming very in handy, and slipped inside the house. 

“Magnus?” he called out, closing the door gently behind himself. 

“Alexander!” Magnus emerged from the kitchen, dish towel thrown over his shoulder, and walked over to his boyfriend. He raised himself into his toes slightly, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, and smiled at him. “You're just in time, I've just finished dinner. I hope you're hungry.”

Magnus’s cooking was one if Alec's favourite things. He didn't know what it was but something about having Magnus, all kind eyes and soft hair, making him dinner, was incredibly appealing to him. It's something he wanted to come home to for years to come. Alec followed him into the dining room, smiling at the assortment of food on the table. “Starving.” 

He made a point of pulling out Magnus’s shake for him, kissing his temple as he sat down, and plopped into his own seat beside him. Dinner was delicious, Alec would admit that, but as the two approached a second hour of conversation over empty plates, Alec finally piped up. 

“So, what was this big surprise you had for me?” he asked. 

Magnus grinned. “Let me get rid of these plates and I'll tell you.” He promised, standing up and seeping the dishes from the table before Alec could protest or offer to help. He came back two minutes later, sitting down next to Alec instead of his usual spot at the head of the table. “So.” 

“So?” Alec asked, drawing out the sound. 

Magnus smiled. “I'm sure you're aware that Ragnor is going to be playing a live concert here in a few weeks.” Alec nodded. “And I'm sure you're aware that tickets are ridiculously expensive.” Alec nodded again. “Well, you're probably going to kill me when I tell you this but,” he paused for dramatic effect. Alec asked his eyebrows, signaling him to get in with it, already having an idea of where this was going. “I got you tickets! For all five of your little group, and I'm sure I could snag a sixth if Jace wanted to attend.” 

“How?” Alec gasped. 

Magnus smirked. “Lets just say that I have friends in high places. They were completely free.” 

“Are you sure?” he questioned. 

Magnus made a cross motion across his chest. “Cross my heart.” 

Without warning Alec was our of his chair, practically sitting on Magnus’s lap as he pulled him into a crushing hug, a massive grin across his face. This was really happening. His amazing, wonderful, beautiful boyfriend bad gotten tickets to the first ever concert of his favourite artist that would no doubt be sold out in less than tenth four hours for him and his friends. “Thank you.” Alec said, pressing kisses to Magnus’s neck. He kept repeating it, his brain unable to comprehend how much he loved this man in that moment. 

He pulled back after a second, though, when a flaw in Magnus’s plan hit him. “What about you?” he asked. 

Magnus smiled guiltily. “I'm afraid I'm out of town for business that weekend. You'll just have to go without me.” 

“Are you sure you're okay with this?” Alec asked, moving his hands up to frame his face.

Magnus nodded, a real, genuine smile poking through the guilty one from before. “Absolutely.” 

Alec grinned, burying his face in Magnus’s neck again, mumbling another wrong of thank yous into his skin, making sure he knew just how thankful he was well into the night. 

\------

“Twenty minutes, ladies!” 

“How does he look?” 

“Wonderful, as always.” 

“Do you think that's enough glitter? He looks like a walking disco ball.” 

“Are you alright Magnus?” 

Magnus looked up, blinking a couple of times as Cat and Tessa walked into the back room being used as his dressing room. Tessa closed the door behind her and Magnus smiled gratefully at the loss of all the noise. “Better, now that you're here.” 

Cat leaned against the makeup table and Tessa sat down beside him, using her hand to brush away some of the stray glitter under his eyes. They really had gone all out on the makeup, though he absolutely loved it. Everything about him seemed to glow, his eyes brilliantly highlighted so that they'd stand out under his mask. As this was a charity event Magnus had kept it classic, sticking to silver and black as his theme for the night. He would admit the crew he'd assembled had done an amazing job. He was fitted with a silver shirt that he'd only done up about two buttons on, black pants and a black jacket to match. His mask was silver, too. He looked forward to receiving it and seeing how it looked with the rest of his ensemble. He had no doubts it would be perfect. 

Even the musicians, Will, Jem, and a friend of theirs named Jessamine, had been decked out in glittering ensembles. Honestly, the entire thing was like a dream come true from Magnus. That didn't, however, explain why he was so nervous. 

“It's your first live performance,” Tessa reasoned, resting her hand over top of his where he was tapping nervously at the arm of his chair. “You have every right to be nervous.” 

“Is Alexander here? Have you seen him?” Magnus asked. 

“All five of them are here, I saw them in the lobby.” Cat assured him. 

He sighed, propping his elbow on the table and dropping his chin into his hand. “I wish I could see him.” 

“I know you do,” Cat said, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. “But you've got this planned out, remember?” 

Somebody poked their head into the room, and Magnus didn't bother to look up and see who it was. “Ten minutes til showtime!” 

“I'm gonna go make sure things are running okay. Do you need anything, Magnus?” Tessa said, standing up from her chair and smoothing out her skirt. 

Magnus shook his head and stood up as well, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, Tessa.” 

“You'll be amazing Mags,” she assured him, opening the door and slipping outside. “Break a leg.” she told him, and closed the door behind her. 

Magnus took a deep breath, grabbing his water bottle from the table and taking a large sip. He could do this, he knew he could. This ridiculous stunt was his idea. Tickets for the show had sold out in six hours, all four thousand seats filling up terrifyingly fast. He knew it was coming, he really did. His music was popular and he'd never performed live before. Who know if he ever would again. It was no wonder that the concert sold out so fast. Knowing beforehand, however, did nothing to cool his nerves when it finally did happen. 

“Hey, Magnus, look at me,” Cat instructed him. He turned around, eyes locking with her determined stare. He placed her hands on his cheeks, running her thumb over his cheekbones, brushing away excess glitter. “Ragnor would be so proud of you, do you know that? He always thought of you as a little brother, he told me as much once, and I know where ever he is now he's looking at you, getting ready to go out on stage with his name and pour your heart out to these people easing moments a charity he used to be highly involved in, and he's making some comment about how you're wearing too much glitter.” Magnus laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. “He would be so proud, Magnus, I'm positive about that. I'm proud of you, Tessa’s proud of you, Will and Jem are proud of you, Raphael is proud of you, and I bet once he figures out who you are, you Alexander is going to be so proud of you.” 

“Thank you, Cat.” He smiled, pulling her into a crushing hug. 

“Go out there and kick some ass,” she told him. “I know you're gonna be amazing.” 

Magnus nodded once, and then again as his adrenaline kicked in. Cat opened the door, ushering him out into the hall. She grabbed his mask for him, tying it carefully around the back of his head, smiling brightly at him as he took his place to get on. 

“You've got this.” she mouthed at him, and he grinned brightly. 

“I've got this.” He assured himself. 

This was not a concert for him. It was for Ragnor. It was him finally letting go, letting himself finish grieving for the friend he'll never get over the loss of. It was for Alec, who had stolen his heart in increasingly creative ways as Magnus struggled to get it back and who he'd fallen madly in love with. For Max Lightwood, the youngest brother of a family he'd gotten so close with that he'd never get to meet, the heavy grief that weighed down on his older brother wherever he went. It was for Max, Jace, Maia, Izzy, Simon, Clary, Cat, Tessa, Will, Jem, Raphael, Alec, and Ragnor. This concert was not for him. It was for everyone else. The crowd was screaming his best friend's name, and he intended on making that best friend proud if it killed him. 

Everything passed by in a blur of colour and flashing lights. He'd thrown his jacket out into the audience at some point within the first five songs and he knew he'd never be getting that back. His face was starting to sweat beneath his mask but he didn't care. He was having the time of his life. Dancing around the stage, listening to the audience scream the lyrics he'd sometimes spent years writing, listening to then cheer every time a song finished. His friends were ecstatic, playing expertly through guitar and drum solos, and he couldn't stop himself from cheering for them at the end of them. He could see his Alexander, tall body dancing around in the front row, phone pulled out through half the show. He was glad he was here to watch the stupid thing he was going to do next. 

“Okay, okay,” he panted, mouth pressed close to the microphone. “I'm gonna get a little bit serious on you now.” He listened as the crowd quieted down, took a deep breath, and started talking. “As I'm sure most of you have already guessed, Ragnor is not my real name! I know, shocking right? No, Ragnor is not my name. It's the name of somebody else. Ragnor Fell. A man who I loved like no other, the closest thing I had to family for a long, long time, who was carelessly killed in a drunk driving accident. I took up his name to honour him, to hope that I could make him proud. It's been four years, and I've never really let myself grieve for him. I miss mil like crazy. Hell, I'm playing this concert because today is the fourth anniversary of his death.” 

The crowd was silent. He could hear a few people sniffling, and was very glad for the mask hiding his own watery eyes from the front row. “I never really moved on, never gave myself the space to. Until recently,” this was the part where he got stupid. “Recently, a little less than a year ago in fact, I was dragged to a wedding as a plus one, where I met a beautiful boy with captivating eyes who liked to take pictures of the stars and dance with his little sister. I fell in love with this man harder than I've ever fallen before. He gave me the strength, the space, to finally let myself grieve. So that's what I'm gonna do here tonight. But I'm also gonna say I love you. I love you to this man who took my life and flipped it upside down, who refuses to move in with me because he thinks I'll get tired of him. When I first told my friend I loved him she told me to write him a song. My brother told me to write one for Ragnor to vent all of my feelings. And this is me, doing just that.” 

He took a step back from the mic. The crowd screamed. He looked out around him, grinning brightly at the crying face of Will who shifted his guitar to wrap an arm around Magnus’s shoulders. He could see Catarina backstage, her eyes puffy and red, cheeks glistening with fallen tears. He didn't dare look for Alec, not knowing if he could handle whatever reaction he may have had. He took another step back towards the mic, took a breath, and started singing.

A meet and greet was scheduled backstage with the few lucky ticket holders that managed to get them first. Magnus had made sure Alec and company had gotten some. The line seemed to stretch on forever, but Magnus wouldn't complain. This would probably be the only time he'd see any of his fans face to face unless he decided to do another live show, he was going to take advantage of it. He met quite the collection of people, signing a myriad of things ranging from arms to boobs to books to albums. He wrote out a tattoo for one boy, nearly broke the phone of a girl when she handed it to him and he was unprepared to grab onto it. He complimented one girl on her tights and she got incredibly flustered, shouting “they're on my etsy!” before burying her face in his chest as she hugged him. He discussed types of hair dye with a couple of girls, signed a bisexual pride flag for a crying boy. He loved every second of it. 

Eventually the room emptied out, leaving Alec and company as the only people left in line. He locked eyes with Alec for a moment, flashing him a challenging smirk, and a second later had an arm and mouth full of his wonderful boyfriend. Alec grabbed him by the hips, pulling him impossibly close, kissing him so hard he tasted blood. Security immediately went to pull him off of Magnus but he waved them away, wrapping his arms around Alec's neck and pulling him even closer. 

Alec pulled back, looking him in the eyes and teaching around the back of his head. He pulled the ribbon holding his mask on loose, catching as it fell from his face, and wiped some glitter from his cheek. He grinned. “God I love you.” 

Magnus had never felt the need to propose to someone before, but in that moment the urge was the strongest thing he could feel. But, seeing as they'd only been dating for about a year, he settled for “Move in with me.” instead 

“Things could go wrong.” Alec said. 

“There's an infinite amount of things that could go right.” Magnus protested. 

“And an infinite amount of things that can go wrong.” He countered. 

“Infinity times infinity is still infinity, my love.” 

Alec kissed him again, long and hard. His secret was out, at least to some people. He'd performed live, raised thousands of dollars for a charity close to his heart, and confessed his live to Alexander is the most dramatic way he could have. Best of all, though, he'd made Ragnor proud. That's the most he could ever ask for. This, Magnus decided, was his favourite version of infinity.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be short and this is what it turned into please help me. I figured since all my right fics are so angsty all the time I should try and write something happy, except now we have this which is also angsty, just not to the degree of all the other stuff I've written. This was just a random idea I had so please excuse me if it's terrible. 
> 
> Comment your opinions they fuel my will to live


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